Breed # Rhodesian Ridgeback The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a hound breed from Southern Africa, standing males 25–31 in · females 24–30 in at the withers, weighing 88–110 lb. Recorded lifespan is ~13 yrs. ![A photograph of the Rhodesian Ridgeback](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/rhodesian-ridgeback.webp) Breed group Hound Origin Southern Africa Height males 25–31 in · females 24–30 in Weight 88–110 lb Lifespan ~13 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Rhodesian Ridgeback is taller than 94% of the measured breeds, heavier than 90%, one of 33 in the Hound group, one of 2 from Southern Africa. Compare the Rhodesian Ridgeback with another breed ## Living with the Rhodesian Ridgeback Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Rhodesian Ridgeback’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 5 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 3 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 5 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 5 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 2 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 4 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 2 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Rhodesian Ridgeback on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/rhodesian-ridgeback/)[Rhodesian Ridgeback on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/rhodesian-ridgeback) ## Breeds that look like the Rhodesian Ridgeback A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Rhodesian Ridgeback. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/azawakh.webp)Azawakh](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/azawakh/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/boerboel.webp)Boerboel](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/boerboel/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/sloughi.webp)Sloughi](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/sloughi/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/ca-de-bou.webp)Ca de Bou](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/ca-de-bou/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/great-dane.webp)Great Dane](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/great-dane/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/black-mouth-cur.webp)Black Mouth Cur](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/black-mouth-cur/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Rhodesian Ridgeback25–31 in 2. Azawakh25–29 in 3. Boerboel24–28 in 4. Sloughi26–28 in 5. Ca de Bou22–23 in 6. Great Dane31–35 in 7. Black Mouth Cur16–25 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Rhodesian Ridgeback88–110 lb 2. Azawakh44–55 lb 3. Boerboel132–174 lb 4. Sloughi55–65 lb 5. Ca de Bou77–84 lb 6. Great Dane110–180 lb 7. Black Mouth Cur40–95 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Rhodesian Ridgeback~13 yrs 2. Azawakh12–15 yrs 3. Boerboel10–12 yrs 4. Sloughi10–15 yrs 5. Ca de Bou10–12 yrs 6. Great Dane8–10 yrs 7. Black Mouth Cur12–18 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. See the Rhodesian Ridgeback on the breed map Read about the Rhodesian Ridgeback on Wikipedia